not eager to share

it's rarely that an gets an ice-cream treat.
so when hubs promised him ice-cream
for dessert, an was ecstatic & couldn't wait
for lunch to be over. i think in future
hubs should refrain from telling him
until after lunch or else he wouldn't be able
to finish whatever he's having.

an got his ice-cream as promised.
i told him to eat it in the car as hubs had
to get me back to work. an was very careful,
making sure that he scooped it slowly
so as not to have the ice-cream drip
on him or the car seat.

BUT when hubs asked him for barely
a spoonful to try, an pulled a face...

fun @ the cinema

austin mini courtesy of mr bean's official website

i haven't been to the big screen since lord of the rings : the return of the king which was ages ago.

hubs, an & myself went to watch mr bean's holiday over the weekend ~ thanks to an who enjoys mr bean's silliness & misadventure so much that hubs made it a point to get tickets as soon as he got back from his biz trip.

it was indeed a refreshing movie to watch after my long absence from the cinema! i bet all the kids who went to see it had a jolly good laugh! i know we did! lil han will have his turn when he's old enough to understand & sit through one :o)

true love

that's right! han likes cakes heaps (just like mommy)

& enjoys eating his share on his own.
uhuh, definitely no help required there!
yep, he stuffs it in like there's no tomorrow.
plus one should never ever attempt to touch
his cake unless he pushes his serving away.

when he sees pictures of cakes anywhere,
he'll say, "want cake. want cake!
waaant caaakeee!"

an unfussy eater he is & will try anything
but his love for cakes conquers all!

terrific 2? i pray!

saturday, 170307
lil han & mommy had a simple celebration
of our birthdays together!

big & lil bro, including mommy
were down with a dreadful cold
but that didn't stop us from having a good day!

han was busy with daddy's handphone
the minute he got out of bed.
he must've been checking
for birthday sms-es!

the cake should've read
"happy 2nd birthday han".
mommy's out of the limelight
when sharing her birthday
with her lil guy
but she doesn't mind @ all :o)

i requested for hubs to cook for us.
he left at 6.30am for the fresh market.
he served us claypot chicken, beef rendang,
grilled & steamed prawns, a vegie dish &
his special beef patties as an appetizer.
watch out jamie oliver!

this was a gift from ah ku* (*uncle in hokkien) to us.
i'd to take a picture of it as he took the trouble to
wrap it himself. if you know my bro,
this is something he would NOT normally do!

see, they forgot mommy!
only 2 candles on the cake!
mommy isn't even in the picture!
where's mommy?
mommy was as usual behind the camera.
no worries, it's lil han's time to shine
& i pray for a terrific two :o)

6 weird things about myself

i've been tagged by mom2ashley.

i've never been tagged (thought i got away with it), so this is WEIRD having to think of the WEIRD side of me with my very first tag. LOL!

ONE...
i've a passion for colours, anything & everything colourful, colourful things/packaging/clothes/bags/shoes/accessories/nails/hair, etc. i think at times i'm a walking rainbow. my current hair colour is olive green (it looks more khaki actually) with bits of green & rose pink highlights ~ love it! btw, the colourful highlights aren't chemical base colourant but fruit extracts cleverly developed by l'oréal.

TWO
yup, i too am guilty for organising my clothes according to colours & shades, from darkest to lightest, from big pattern to small pattern prints (e.g. flowers, vertical/horizontal stripes, abstract design, etc), from long sleeves to sleeveless, from formal to casual, from tops to bottoms & all dresses in another closet. weird? i think not & yes mom2ashley is RIGHT about finding clothes faster when in order plus it's much easier to do a mix & match. i also tend not to buy the same colour/design when my clothes are arranged that way, thus i spend less & become more economical! yeah!

i do the same with my accessories ~ earrings, chokers, necklaces, bangles, bracelets & rings!

THREE
i appreciate animation & find the world of animation/CGI intriguing. i particularly enjoy japanese animation. i wish i'd the talent to draw really well & wouldn't mind being in that industry! walt disney here i come!

FOUR
i would choose books over movies anytime.

FIVE
when i was pregnant with lil han, i used to crave for milky/red/green tea every single day!

SIX
i don't mind doing all the household chores (i find that doing the laundry & ironing rather therapeutic) but not cooking. yes, i know i'm terrible! however i'd like to quickly add that i'm blest with hubs who loves cooking & doesn't mind one bit. thanks hubs :o)

han close-up

i really enjoy taking close-up pictures of lil han
when he's cooperating i.e. he'll look into the camera
& voluntarily say, "smile!"

he's growing up so fast! i want to get as many shots
of his babyish appearance before it turns boyish!

here's looking at mommy with those cheeky eyes.

i love the above picture of him the best :o)

having 2 kids

i came across this question that got hold of my attention in baby world about going for a 2nd child:

can i ever love another child as much as my first?

i believe mommies go through the anxiety of wondering at one time or another. i know i did when i was expecting lil han!

as i continued reading on the stories of how some mommies felt before & after their 2nd child, this one quotation stands true:

LOVE does not divide, it multiplies.
- a word of wisdom given by a grandmother to her granddaughter

on the same note, in christian folder, the author in relating his experience after their 6th child:

another child doesn’t mean less love for one person, it means more love for everyone.

i felt that as our nuclear family went from 3 to 4, it definitely added heaps more joy, laughter, cartoony/animated moments, & photos to the family album. i must also say that it isn't always sunshiny days with the increased parental responsibilities/chores/juggling acts to perform, nevertheless the end of a sometimes super exhausting & demanding day to me is like experiencing a beautiful rainbow ~ full of GOD's promises after a rainy, cleansing & humbling day.

tiger mau mau

introducing the real ta66y of the family, a.k.a. tiger or tiger mau mau to the boys. i've always been fond of kitty kats, thus the name mommy ta66y.

our family cat has been with us since 29 december 1999. when the boys came along, they took to her easily. big bro an enjoys the responsibility of feeding her. lil han, on the contrary, likes petting her & says, "sayang tiger mau mau." on his cheeky + naughty days & when he thinks i'm not looking, he'll try to reach for her tail = me giving him a sharp "no!" big bro an will never dare pull that stunt again cos tiger taught him a valuable lesson (pull tail = bite)! he has definitely learnt to respect her since then :o)

i like the outcome of pictures taken with
the given vivid colour option

i'm also a big fan of black & white pictures ~ classic!

chinese lanterns @ gaya street

i simply love the charming & neat display of chinese lanterns on gaya street. it simply makes the whole place come alive with the festivities of cny.

we've passed this street a gazillion times & i've been reminding myself to photograph this cheery view before cny ends. i'd sometimes forget my camera or when i think i'm super ready, the batteries are flat (not funny at all)!

these shots were captured from a moving vehicle on the day i remembered to do everything right. i would've love to stop to get even more prettier pictures but this'll do for now.

girlfriend

an & hubs were waiting for me on the ground floor in the hall for our usual lunch date as i walked down the steps of a non-functioning escalator from the office to meet them halfway. they'd normally wait for me in the car but today an wanted to walk about.

he ran to me as i reached the bottom of the escalator & got hold of my hand. we headed to the car hand in hand with him happily talking away.

an: look at my sticker! (pointing to a small heart shape winnie the pooh sticker stuck to the tip of his forefinger)
me: that's nice.
an: my friend gave it to me! the person is a girl. but a boy tore it. see! (showing me the small tear on the sticker)

when we were all seated in the car, i told hubs of an's sticker.

hubs: i heard a girl gave you a sticker.
an: ya, she's my friend but the boy is bad. he tore my sticker.
hubs: why did he tear your sticker?
an: he wants to take my sticker.
hubs: may be that girl is his girlfriend.
an: no! she's my girlfriend!

hubs & i definitely had a good laugh before lunch. i took the lil sticker from an's finger & stuck it to his pencil case.

me: mommy stick it here for you ok. (an nodded agreeably)

once upon a time...

there was a prince in a faraway kingdom. the king & queen named him an, meaning PEACE. he can be an obedient boy, very helpful & generous toward everyone around him. a calm & serene 4 year old from time to time.

innocent & peaceful looking an

on the contrary, when all backs are turned, he can also transform into a bed-jumping prince. need i say more? the queen caught him on camera & showed it to the king ~ both heads shook unanimously with disapproval. it's no wonder why the beds have been sandy lately despite the regular change of sheets! tsk tsk tsk!

overly playful an

the queen is smiling secretly to herself as she's writing this post for she remembered her bed-jumping days with fellow bed-jumpers.

the end

p.s. i think everyone's guilty of bed-jumping in their childhood days :o)

a fascinating email

from: jordan's mommy
sent: wednesday, january 31, 2007 9:16 am
to: mommy ta66y
subject: interesting things you find out when you have sons

1. a king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2. if you spray hair spray on dust bunnies & run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. a 3-year old boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. if you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor isn't strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing batman underwear & a superman cape. it's strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 x 20 ft. room.

5. you shouldn't throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. when using a ceiling fan as a bat, you've to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. a ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. the glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. when you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8. brake fluid mixed with clorox makes smoke, & lots of it.

9. a six-year old boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. certain lego will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old boy.

11. play dough & microwave shouldn't be used in the same sentence.

12. super glue is forever.

13. no matter how much jell-o you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. pool filters don't like jell-o.

15. VCRs don't eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though tv commercials show they do. (not applicable here though ~ definitely a US commercial)

16. garbage bags don't make good parachutes.

17. marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. you probably DON'T want to know what that odor is.

19. always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys don't like ovens.

20. the fire department in austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21. the spin cycle on the washing machine doesn't make earthworms dizzy.

22. it'll however, make cats dizzy.

23. cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. 80% of women will pass this (email) on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25. 80% of men who read this will try mixing the clorox & brake fluid. (boys will be boys & men will still be boys!)

*** i've exprienced 3 & 18. i pray that that'll be all...

lunch ad

hubs would normally fetch an from school, then take me from work & we'll head for a quick lunch after that. an wanted to have mcD today & daddy okay-ed his suggestion. we're not in favour of fast food when it comes to the kids but we'll take an upon his request as a treat once in a blue moon & he knows it.

off to mcD it was! as an approaches 5 in may this year, i've noticed that he doesn't really fancy having pictures of him taken, thus the face he pulled in the one below. it used to be different when he was younger, he'd smiled naturally at the camera ~ miss those moments!

despite the resistant look on his face, i enjoyed editing this picture of his & turned it into the latest KFC ad. wonder how many free KFC lunches would the management give me for this ad & if mcD will double the lunches to have me change it? wishful thinking ~ haha!

a fun ad just for laughs
model: an

mommy ta66y going native

a momentous picture of moi taken on a rather cultural night during the recent company's annual dinner with international night being the theme. my beautiful colleague (on the right) & i were dressed in 2 of sabah's traditional attires.

agnes dressed as a lotud

it was momentous for me because i wore mom's murut costume for the very first time & with much pride. i felt i was part of history as the gold, bell-like buttons adorning the front of mom's blouse belonged to my great grandma as well as the bronze buttons on my sleeves. these valuable pieces are being passed down through succeeding generations & one day i'll own them.

collar & top front of blouse

heirloom

traditional bronze buttons on sleeve

it'll be precious to have something of importance to me be passed down to my boys & their generations to come. then it'd become my own history...

our miniature lion

i spotted this lil lion during the weekend & thought it'd be great for the boys especially han since this cny is only his 2nd & he has begun to take notice of the chinese lanterns hung in malls & restaurants. i'm sure he knows by now that christmas is well over with all the decorations packed & stored, so our lil lion friend here can make way for the next festival.

big bro an doesn't mind watching a lion dance from a distance. he's just not into loud noises coming from the ignited firecrackers during the performance. as for han, he was only 10 months plus when he experienced his 1st cny. i'm sure he'll be more alert this year with the rumbling & rhythmical sound of the chinese drum combined with the sharp clanging sound of the cymbals. our miniature lion only measures about 12 inches & han has been making it dance. hopefully during cny, he won't be taken aback when he sees the real thing :o)



my bro & i used to have a medium size lion. he'd be the head & i, the tail. it was definitely fun having our very own lion dance performances at home. i wish i knew where that lion is now. i believed it was given away but the strangest thing is i don't remember being there. so dad & mom must've given it away when bro & i went abroad for a couple of years. did you not dad? did you not mom?

41 degrees celsius

han suffered from bad tonsillitis & a burning fever of 41 degrees celsius last week! i thought it was just the common viral fever he normally gets & have been inserting suppository (paracetamol 125mg) into him every 4 hours but his fever hardly subsided. ah kong & ah ma did cold compress on him while we were at work & that didn't help much.

about 9pm last thursday night, hubs & i rushed him to the clinic. doc was very surprised by his high temperature, immediately checked his throat & confirmed it as inflamed tonsils. nurse was asked to insert a double dose of suppository (paracetamol 250mg) into him right away. doc asked us if we'd a wet towel so that we can keep him cool on our way home. she was afraid that the extreme heat in his body could cause fits. doc also prescribed han with 5 types of medication, 1 being the antibiotic.

the moment we reached home, upon doc's advise, we gave him his medicated syrups which made him cry inconsolably, then took off all his clothes, got a big damp towel to cover him & a bigger but dry towel on top of the wet one ~ this lasted til 1am before his body temperature reduced to almost room temperature. lil han slept like he has never slept in days after that. poor baby!

a recovering & happier han ~ playfully kicking a basketball

what an ordeal we all went through! i thank GOD for protecting him...

mommy's new year resolutions

i reckon resolutions are tricky biz. i make them with much enthusiasm & lose it before middle of the year whether i wrote them down or not. bravo to those who have successfully fulfilled their 2006 resolution/s! * give yourself a pat on the back *

after going through 4 years of motherhood, i know i lack pretty much a lot of areas in parenting & still need to fine-tune them. i'd say that since entering into motherhood & going through parenting 101 briefly & quickly with major hiccups along the way, my resolutions for the past years revolve around becoming a better parent especially in the department of...

PATIENCE
yup, the virtue of patience is the hardest one for me. in the beginning i'm like, 'yeah, i can do this. i'm rather patient. piece of cake.' but hey no, with kids it's totally different, the minute i lose my cool & that includes counting up to 10, if nicer, i'd count more ~ agitation, annoyance, edginess, intolerance, irritability, snappiness start creeping in & get the better of me! so yeah, i'm stuck with refining this virtue forever!

i notice that grandparents have the most patience with their grandkids. i've seen dad potty train an when he was younger. he'd sit there supporting an (when an was still rather wobbly with the sitting position i.e.), waiting patiently for him to do or finish up his lil biz. i sure hope when i get to my golden age, i'd have obtained a higher level of patience :o)

& having a BIGGER HEART
i need a heart enlargement & enhancement for all the many unexpected roller coaster rides i've been getting as a parent & the many more to come. bless my heart!

i think it'd be awesome if mtv boiling points could do one of their shows on parent & child in a given scenario to test the tolerance level of either parent. that'd be tough huh (on the parent) since it'd be aired on national tv one time or the other. anyway, just a humourous thought ~ hehe!

lil han's signature smile

whenever i ask han to smile for me, he'd give me the same cheeky smile & i therefore declare it his signature smile. sometimes i've 101 things on my mind (don't we all!), meticulously listing out the things i've done & the things i still need to do BUT this smiley face of his puts a full stop to all that & makes me laugh instead!

the twelve days of christmas

this is one the catchiest christmas songs i know & it gets me singing or humming the tune. hooray! it's 12 more days to christmas! i'm a kid again, doing my very own christmas countdown. come! sing along with me...

on the first day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
a partridge in a pear tree...

on the second day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
two turtle doves...

on the third day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
three french hens...

on the fourth day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
four calling birds...

on the fifth day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
five golden rings...

on the sixth day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
six geese a-laying...

on the seventh day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
seven swans a-swimming...

on the eighth day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
eight maids a-milking...

on the ninth day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
nine ladies dancing...

on the tenth day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
ten lords a-leaping...

on the eleventh day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
eleven pipers piping...

on the twelfth day of christmas,
my true love sent to me
twelve drummers drumming...

colours, colours & more colours!

this is an's box of crayons.
i was fascinated with the way it looked after it was being used,
i.e. carelessly placed back into the box by a child.


this is an's palette.
i love the mixture of colours on it
which gives the palette a festive quality.


this is an's sponge.
he uses the sponge to create patterns
instead of the usual brushes.
i call it sponge painting :o)

this is an up-close view of the sponge.
i think it's an art by itself.
i only noticed the beautiful bright colours
when i looked at it closely & decided to capture it.